Wheel



July 5 1927.

H. V. LU DWlCK WHEEL Griginal Filed Aug l. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MTA/E55!" H In INVENTOR. hlt-Raser l/. aow/0K.

Patented July 5, 1927.

l, @UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

HERBERT V'. LUDW'ICK, OF PHILADELPHIA,.-PENNSYLVANIA, .ASSIGNOR T0 :BUDD 'WHEEL COMPANY, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F rENNsYLvANu.

WHEEL."

Application led August 1, `1922, Serial No. 578,896. Renewed liarch 8, 1927.

My invention relates to improvements in wheels and has to do, more particularly,

'- with demountable disc wheels for automobiles.

I The chief object of my invention is to provide a simple and efficient demountable disc wheel which is comparatively light and may be manufactured at a low cost.

Another object of my invention is to prol0 vide a simple and eiiicient driving connection between the hub and the demountable disc of a disc wheel, `of such construction that it may be manufactured cheaply and readily. v

A further object of my invention is to provide inherently resilient means for effecting a clutch connection between the deinountable disc of a disc wheel'and the `.hub which receives it. A further object of my inventionA is to provide a hub cap for retaining ade-mountgable disc Wheel on the hub and simple and effective means for preventing the unscrewin of the hub cap. v

urtherhobjects, and objects relating to economiesl and details of construction and operation will definitely appear from the detailed description to follow. In one 1nstance, I accomplish the objects of my invention by the devices and means described in the following specication. Myvinvention is clearly defined and pointed out in the appended claims. A structure constituting a preferred embodiment of my invention4 is illustrated in the accompanying drawing,

' forming a part of this v.speci cation,. in

which:l

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a wheel embody-A ing my invention.

Fig. :2 is an enlarged, radial, sectional view through thel wheel, taken on theline 2 2 of Fig. 1. 4

Fig. 3 is a fra mentary, enlarged plan view of the centr portion of the wheel.

Fi 4 is an enlar ed view of the inner hub in elevation, loo of the hub. y y v l Fig. 5 is a view in elevation of the central portion of the disc, showing the portions 5 which fit on the innerhub.

Fig. lGis aradiah'sectional view through a wheel, showing a slightly` modlied form ofhub y. y. i p. v

ing at `the outer endv In the drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views and the sectional views are taken looking in the direction of the arrows at the ends of the section lines.

The chief purpose of my invention is to produce a wheel of small weight, which can be manufactured for sale at a low price and which will, nevertheless, be strong and durable andsatisfactorily meet conditions arising 1n use on a motor vehicle. The demountable disc must be so connected with the hub' of the wheel that the two parts turn as one when the wheel is in use but, never? l tieless, this connection between lthe disc and hub. must be of such a nature that it can be easily and quickly removed from the hub, in case it is necessary lto change wheels on the road. It is also desirable to provide means for preventing the inadvertent release of .the driving connection between the disc and the hub, so that the disc will not come off accidentally. In demountable disc wheel constructions at present in use, a considerableA portion of the cost is due to the operations required to form the disc and the hub so as to provide for a releasable connection between them, and it is among the special purposes of my invention to provide a releasable connection between the hub and the `'disc of a demountable disc wheel, which, While simple and effective, is comparatively inexpensive to produce. `I propose to provide a' hub having a radial flange and a driving shoulder at the the central opening therein, so that the disc engages the 'flange of the hub `near* the periphery `thereof and the rib bridges'the space between such point of contact and the driving, shoulder. I propose toretain the demountable disc in place on the hub by 'a hub cap lscrewed on the hub' and havin ka radialange engaging therib on 'the disc.

'12, in the usual manner.

of Said flange, which shoulder is of frustropyramidal form, being hexagonal in crosssection, as shown. The outer end of the hub is cylindrical and externallylthreaded, at 15, said portion being of smaller diameter than the driving shoulder, 14, so as to permit the disc to pass over. The demountable portion of the wheel comprises the wheel disc, 16, which is shown as tapered, but, obviously, may be untapered if desired, and which is provided with a peripheral flange, 17, to which the rim, 18, is secured, said vrim carrying the tire, 19, as shown in Fig.

1. A central opening is formed in the disc, 16, andan annular rib, 20, is pressed into the disc surrounding said central opening. The metal at the inner edge of said rib 1s pressed inwardly, forming the flange, 21, which is so shaped as to forni an internal, rustro-pyramidal driving seat or surface which hts the driving shoulder, 14, and which is preferably tapered, somewhat, to corres ond with the taper of `the driving shoul er, 14. The disc, 16, engages the peripheral portion of the flange, 13, adjacent the outer edge of the annular rib, 20, as shown in Fig. 2, but the main portion of said rib is spaced away from the iiange, 13, as clearly indicated in said iigure. A hub cap, 22, is screwed upon the externally threaded portion, 15, of the hub and this hub. cap has the radial flange, 23, having a portion, 25, adapted to contact with the rib, 20, near the outer edge thereof and a portion, 24,-adapted to contact with the rib, 20, near the inner edge thereof and near the driving seat formed on the fiange, 21, of the disc. The portion of the flange, 23, between such zones of contact, 24 and 25 is spaced away from the rib, 20.

- ln order to prevent the unscrewing of the hub cap, 22, I have provided a plurality of oblong bosses, 29, pressed into the rib, 20, at e ual radial distances from the center of the isc. The hub cap fiange, 23, has a boss, 26, in which a locking screw, 27, is

threaded. The end of this screw is partly out away, forming a shoulder, 28, at substantially the same radial distance from the axis o'f the wheel, as the outer ends of the bosses, 29. When this screw, 27, is in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the hub cap is mames 1 free to turn because the shoulder, 28, clears .28, strikes the nearest boss, 29, and thus prevents the unscrewing of the hub cap'.

In Fig. 6, I have shown a modified form of hub which may be constructed entirely of stain ings. The radial flange against W lich the isc, 16, bears is formed by the two radial flanges, 31 and 32, on the sleeves, 30 and 33, these two flanges being rigidly secured together, as shown in Fig. 6. 'lhe sleeve, 33, has the frustro-pyramidal driving shoulder, 34, formed thereon and the disc, 16, cooperates with such driving shoulder in the saine manner as in the construction heretofore described. The hub cap, 22, is

7screwed upon the externally-threaded end of chining operation, so that the cost of the hub is small. The disc may be very readily formed so as to produce the annular rib,-

20, with the driving flange, 21. The hub cap, 22 is a comparatively'simple stamping. It follows from this that the entire wheel may be constructed at a low cost. The use of the non-circular driving shoulder, as a means of effecting a clutch connection between the demountable disc and the hub, provides a construction in which the demountable disc can be very quickly and readily removed from the hub when the hub cap .is removed. The removal of the hub cap 1s a simple operation, as all that is required is to set the screw, 27, in the proper position and apply a wrench to thev end of the hub cap, 22. The hub cap flange, 23, engages the annular rib, 20, of the disc, at two spaced zones of contact located between the zones at which `the disc contacts with the flange, 13, and the driving shoulder, lll, respectively. There is sutiicient resiliency in the metal used to permit a slight yield in the rib, 20, of the disc, which sets up a force acting like a spring washer on the hub cap, 22, to prevent an accidental unscrewing thereof and resilien-tly holding the flange, 21, of the disc in tight engagement with the tapered driving shoulder, 14. I have illustrated a driving shoulder of tapered frustro-pyramidal form and of hexagonal cross section but I am not to be restricted to this particular form of driving seat, as other configurations may be used so long as they are of non-circular cross section.

I am aware that the wheel construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings may be changed considerably, without dcparting yfrom the spirit of my invention and, therefore, I claim my invention broadly, as indicated by the appended claims.

-the hub, can be made by a very simple inabase-of said flange, a disc havinga centralopening therein and an integral annular rib surrounding said opening, sald disc havln a driving seat at the inner edge of-saldr1` fitting said shoulder, and releasabl'e means for maintaining the disc on the hub incontact with the flange and with said seat and shoulder in driving engagement.

2. In a wheel the combination of a hub having a drivin cross section, a

said opening, said disc having a driving seat at the inner edge of said rib fitting said shoulder, and a hub cap screwed on sald hub and provided with a radialflange adapted to engage -said rib in -two spaced zonesof contact'to maintain the disc seated on the hub with said seat and shoulder in driving engagement.

3. In a Wheel thecombination of a hub having a radial fiange and a drivin shoulder of non-circular cross section at t e base lof said fiange, a` disc provided kwith a central opening and an annular irib surrounding said central opening, said disc having a driving seat at the inner edge of said rib fitting the driving shoulder, a hub cap f screwed on the' hub and having a radial flange provided with portions contacting with the rib of the disc in two spaced zones of contact located between the drivingshoulder and the peripheral portion of the hub flange.

4. In a wheel, the combination of a hub having a radial flange and a driving shoulder of non-circular cross-section extending therefrom, a disc having a central opening and an annular rib surrounding said central opening, said disc having a driving seat at one shoulder of non-circular..l isc having a 'central o en-` ing therein and an annular rib surroun4 ingr Jdiscto retain the disc in .with said hub.

" 6. Inv awheel the combination of a hul) v edge o f said annular rib fitting said driving shoulder, and releasable means for maintaining the disc on the hub in contact with the `flange and with said seatand shoulder in driving engagement.

5. In a wheel the combination ofA a hub having a radial ange and a driving shoulder of non-circularcross section at the base of said flange, a disc having a central opening, and an annular rib surrounding said central opening, said disc contacting with said hub flange adjacent the outer edge of said riband having a driving portion at the inner edge of said rib, engaging the driving shoulder of said hub, the bod portion ofsaid rib being spaced from said flange, and unitary means engaging the rib of said riving engagement havin al radial flange and a driving shoulder o noncircular cross section at the base of said flange, a. disc having a central open-Y 1ng and an annular rib surrounding said lvcentral opening, the outer edge of said annular rib contacting with said flange near the periphery thereof, and the .inner edge of said annular rib being formedrinto a"driv ing surface of non-circular cross section fitting the driving shoulder of the hub, the body portion of said rib being spaced from said hub flange, and a hub cap screwed on said hub and engaging the rib of`-said disc to retain the disc in vdriving connection with the hul) Y 7. In a wheel, a hub, a hub structure having a radially-extending Bange, a disc mounted on said flange and contacting therewith along two spaced lines and having its body separated therefrom intermediate lsaid lines; and a clamping means enga ing ture.

' HERBERT V. LUDWICK. 

